I think I might know what you’re talking about, but if I do, it’s not there. (I moved here in 2001, so there’s a gap.)
Another fun little thing to seek out would be the Toynbee tile. I won’t spoil its location in case you want to make it a little research project. Location:
It’s on the street on Maryland & Meridian just outside of the Hard Rock Cafe on the crosswalk.
Not SEC, but many folks are fanatic about college football. Grits? Try the Omni. Omni Grits are a specialty there. Every McRonalds from coast to coast has sweet tea. For BBQ, you’ll need to take S.R. 32 to Bird’s at Daleville. If you live far enough away that you haven’t had a Breaded Tenderloin Sandwich, you’re in for a treat.
Haven’t been to Daleville. But Judge’s is fantastic. I’m a KC native, so I’m a little picky about my BBQ.
Another welcome to town. IUPUI is downtown and you will have a good time walking around from there. I don’t recall seeing anything about our Children’s Museum in this thread (but it has been a while since I read the whole thing). It is world class and unless you are one of those who absolutely hates kids you can find some really cool things there. Go to the Haunted House at Halloween.
A little further out… take a trip south in the fall and see some of the most beautiful scenery in the Brown County, Bloomington area. Bloomington is a college town with all that comes with that. Brown County may be gridlock in the fall, but there are also great areas around Lake Monroe in the Hoosier National Forest that are much less crowded.
Conner Prairie is a good “living museum” on the NE side. If you are into classic cars, a trip a couple hours up North to Auburn you will find some amazing examples at the Auburn/Cord musuem. I haven’t been there but they have an annual festival that I’ve heard is amazing.
And don’t bother asking what a “Hoosier” is… it is either a resident of this state, or an IU fan. Where it came from is still up for debate. Oh, and learn to play Euchre.
One other thing… I see someone else touched on this, but if you go somewhere and order a Tenderloin don’t expect a Beef Filet. It is a sandwich, with a pounded Pork Tenderloin breaded and hanging about 2-3 inches over all sides of the bun. I like mine with Mustard, Mayo, Onion and Pickles. We could go into Great Debates to see where to get the best one, but honestly I’ve never been disapointed… even in my work’s cafeteria.
I would say Tipton at the bar just across from the County Courthouse - the name escapes me. Or during their yearly Pork Festival.
Avoid Thorntown; they don’t have the touch for a great sandwich. It won’t kill you but I wouldn’t even consider it in the top 25.
(I don’t live in Indiana but I spend a lot of time there; especially north of Indy.)
Someone mentioned the lack of BBQ (which I don’t agree with) but if you are here already the annual RibFest is going on this weekend, and if you can’t find something you consider good BBQ there I don’t know where you can.
I also notice you said you were from UCI which I believe is on the left side of the country. If you are one of those who moans about not having In And Out anywhere else, head up to 96th Street Steakburgers. Transplants from California have set up some clones which I’ve been told are pretty true to your version.
I am one of those people, and I thank you for the tip! 
Oh man, I had a tenderloin sandwich from Rock Cola cafe at this neighborhood fair type event called the “Feast of Lanterns” and holy crap it was good.
Hmm. What department at IUPUI will you be in?
…also, looking at the number of folks in and around Indy, I wonder if it might not be time to do an Indy get-together (I dunno, calling it a “Dope Fest” just sounds so skeevy…).
Hey, I was there too! If you’re getting linked in to those type of events, you’re doing it right already.
I know someone in Texas who moved to Indianapolis and lived there for a few years before moving back. He hated Indianapolis. “Nothing but corn everywhere” seemed to be a big beef with him.
Funny… I drive all over and I don’t see any corn except in the grocery stores. The upside is I can find fresh sweet corn that will knock your socks off that was picked that morning. Yes, I can find plenty of corn fields in the state (which I’m pretty sure is bigger than Thailand but feel free to correct me if I’m wrong), but not in Indianapolis. We have cows and chickens roaming the streets of downtown, not corn 
Believe it or not we have things like professional Football and Basketball. World class museums and 5 star hotels. We even have these fancy bands that use fiddles and things (we dress up in our best overalls for these concerts).
I also know several people who have moved from Indy and have come back after a few years hating places like Atlanta, St. Louis, Dallas, Boston, New York, Seattle, etc. Different people like different things. I don’t think anyone here is claiming it is New York City (thank god) but we aren’t some backwoods burg with more tractors than cars (that would be West Lafayette). We’re trying to help a guy out who is moving to an unfamiliar town and probably has to deal with friends “back home” questioning his sanity.
Sorry Sam, nothing personal I just don’t like someone stereotyping my home town with an authoriatative statement like someone going to your home and saying “I knew someone who went to Bangkok and everyone there was screwing 15 year old boys.”
I was gonna say . . . I don’t remember seeing any corn when I lived there (note that that is not the same as saying there isn’t any; I just don’t remember seeing any.) And I lived outside of town.
It seems to be more in the north half of the state. Easier to grow in the flat part rather in the hills of the south. But I’m not farmer so don’t take this as gospel.
Must have been winter. Spring is when all the cracks in the sidewalks sprout the corn.
I’m so sorry…
I live in Bloomington. Southern Indiana vs. Northern Indiana is very different. In the south you get a lot of rolling hills and really uneven terrain, very heavily forested. This is a typical view from Brown County in the fall; just east of here, towards Nashville, on SR 46, there are views like that all over the place. Hell even in Bloomington you can find areas like that, if you drive around the country roads a little. Large valleys and very dense trees are the norm.
In the northern half, it is very flat and can be quite boring. Even if you just go as far north as Terre Haute you start to see the geography change…it’s a beautiful drive, half of the way there, and then the second half of the drive is through a lot of flat, flat land. The really gigantic soybean and corn farms start to take over, and it’s more similar to what you’d find in Kansas.
You should definitely visit Bloomington because it’s a quirky college town with a bohemian culture and a lot of local color. I prefer the summer, when the students are gone and you get a sense of what the real “towny” side of the town is like. I like living here because a lot of the community ethic here is in keeping with my values. There is a very very strong pro-environment movement and a great deal of activity with local organic farming; a big culture of believers in self-sustaining local agriculture and food co-ops; populist-style liberalism, but also very friendly to hunters, gun owners, and personal freedom. John Mellencamp lives here (I do know him, though not THAT well) and I think he is a pretty good elder statesman of our town.
Well, I will have to correct you. Thailand IS much bigger than Indiana. It is about the size of Texas, maybe slightly smaller. Closer to the size of France, actually.
Sorry to stereotype your state, but that was my friend doing it, not me. He really did have that gripe. Maybe he just resented being transferred there by his company, but all he complained about was the “friggin’ corn everywhere.” Maybe the rural drives irked him, dunno. Personally, I think few places could be as bad as Texas, but he’s still there and lovin’ it.
In a post that says you don’t like someone stereotyping…ouch! I’ll have you know that where I live in West Lafayette, there is no corn out my back door. It’s alfalfa and the field behind that is corn, or is it soybeans this year? I can’t remember what they have planted this year. I’ve lived in Indy, Bloomington and West Lafayette, and while Bloomington was my favorite, I must say I like WL pretty well. I’ve always found, and this is the fourth college town I’ve lived in, that college towns are like little oasis’ surrounded by completely different demographics. You can find lots of entertainment, culture and diversity in a college town regardless of what the surrounding area is like. Besides, every one in the state knows that the tractors are in Frankfort. 
